Sydney New Year
by Galadriel1010
Summary: Steven and David are on a doting-uncles sponsored trip around the world for their gap year, and have made it to Sydney for New Year.


Steven grabbed David's arm and dragged him through the crowd, ignoring his protests. There were so many people here waiting to see the new year in true Sydney style and he didn't want them to lose each other in the crowd. David laughed and stumbled, grabbing Steven's shoulder to steady himself. "I think we're close enough," he yelled.

"I want to get right to the edge," Steven tugged on his arm again and darted for an opening in the crowd. "One year only..."

"Alright, alright," David bulled into him from behind and they nearly fell through the crowd, their momentum halted by the railing at the edge of the roof. "You've got the phone, haven't you?"

"Yes, I've got the phone," Steven scoffed. "What's Uncle Jack's number?"

David thumped his shoulder and leaned on the railing, looking out over Sydney harbour. A light breeze, such a welcome relief from the oppressive heat, caught in his long hair and blew it across his face. "Halfway around, Steven," he pointed out. "Can't believe we're here."

"I could pinch you, if you think it'll help," Steven laughed and span around to lean next to him with his back against the rail and his head back. "We owe Jack and Ianto about a million years of cleaning the car."

"You wash the car, I'll cut the lawn. Or we could buy them a sheep..."

Steven snorted. "Like that'll happen. Ianto's been suggesting it for about ten years, and it's still not happened. And if Ianto hasn't managed to do it yet, it won't."

"I think he's just trying to avoid the stereotyping," David laughed.

"No one who knows Jack would think he needs a sheep," Steven pointed out.

David snorted. "A hereditary tendency, I've noticed."

"You weren't complaining last night," he shot back. "Or this morning, or this afternoon..."

"We Joneses have stamina. And, unfortunately, no taste in men."

"Mica still needs pairing off," Steven leaned in and grinned at him. "And Andrew's still..."

"No. Just..." David shuddered and pointed over the roof. "Jump. Just jump, and do the world a favour."

"You don't mean that," Steven turned puppy-eyes swimming with hurt and laughter on him. "Besides, are you saying you have something wrong with cousins dating?"

David ruffled his hair and tugged at it. "We should get haircuts whilst we're in civilised parts. And we're second cousins once removed. Andrew and Mica are first cousins."

"It's not like there's a biological issue like there would be with Belle... and even then, there wouldn't be," Steven argued back. "It'd be cute, admit it."

"Uncle Ianto would have a fit. Probably several." David shook his head. "Mum would think it was adorable."

"Oh... don't pull your mother on me." Steven turned around to lean his forearms on the railings. "Fine, it'd be terrifying. Speaking of Herself, is it time we called home?"

David reached over and slid his hand into Steven's pocket to extract the Torchwood encrypted phone. They were using the dedicated Torchwood network to beat the jam of people calling friends and family, which was strictly forbidden, of course, but Ianto would be the one who did the paperwork on the misappropriate use of the network. "I thought you liked my mother?"

"I do." Steven leaned into his arm and did nothing to assist in extracting the phone from its pocket. "She's just a little bit scary. Promise me that we're not going to let her organise our wedding?"

He'd nearly got the phone out but shock made his grip slip, so he withdrew his hand and slapped Steven's arse. "Of all the ways to propose..."

"Fine," Steven sighed, rolling his eyes. He span ninety degrees and faced David. "David Davies, will you marry me?"

David swallowed hard and wondered why that had surprised him. "Of course I will."

The few people near enough to them to hear the exchange cheered and Steven dragged David in for a kiss that was part affection, but mostly public display. David put up with it, as he had been doing for the last three years, and managed to extract the phone whilst Steven was distracted. When Steven pulled back, flushed and happy, David snaked one arm around his waist and turned them both to face out across the Harbour, hitting the speed-dial for his uncle's phone and holding it out for the video conference.

Ianto answered before the second ring, and they were nearly deafened by the cheers from their family through the headphones. _"Heya kids, did you make it to your party?"_

David lifted the phone up to show Ianto the view behind them. "You bet. Someone nearly made us late, though..."

"How did I know it would be my fault?" Steven grumbled.

"_You two..."_ Jack's face appeared behind Ianto, and he rested his chin on Ianto's shoulder. _"Can you send it to the screen?"_

"_Just doing it,"_ Ianto confirmed, and David and Steven grinned. _"Right, there we go."_

Immediately, the phone's screen showed the gathered Harkness-Jones clan in the conference room at Jack and Ianto's new Torchwood office. The conference room was on the ground floor and used for entertaining as much as it was for work meetings, whilst they had offices on the first floor and an apartment on the second, and the basement was the subterranian Hub of days gone by. The family were always welcome to drop by, as long as either Jack or Ianto was at home. "G'day!" David saluted them. "How's the weather?"

"_Super, we've got snow still,"_ Rhiannon got in first. _"How's your trip, David?"_

"Still going well," he turned to Steven, asking without words, and smiled at Steven's nod. "We have something to tell you."

"_Oh? Come on, we're all ears,"_ Jack was leaning on the back of Ianto's chair, and David realised from his softer-then-usual grin that he knew.

"Steven just asked me to marry him..."

"And he said yes," Steven finished quickly, glancing at David and back to the phone. They were both holding their breath, wondering how the family would take it. Sure they weren't blood relatives, and it was definitely legal back home, but most of the family had seemed to think that they'd get over it. Jack was the only one who'd fully backed them, and even he acknowledged that he'd come from an unusual and occasionally unhealthy sexual culture.

Belle was the one to break the moment of shock. _"Can I be a bridesmaid?"_

The tension released with a whoosh and Steven laughed. "We'll see."

"We might just do it in Vegas," David suggested. "Whilst drunk."

"_Oh no you don't,"_ Alice told him, with some of the colour returning to her cheeks, _"I'm not missing out on my little boy's wedding; and you wouldn't want us all hanging around you in Las Vegas, would you?"_

"No, Mum," Steven agreed, wide-eyed at the very thought. "We must never let Jack go to Vegas."

"_He's been,"_ Ianto pointed out, refusing to smile about it but leaning his head against Jack's wrist. _"The less said, the better."_

"_Hey."_ Jack shoved at Ianto's head and growled.

Behind them, the countdown started. "Guys, it's time." They counted down with the crowd and their family, for whom it was actually coming up one in the afternoon, and cheered when the fireworks started. David flipped the camera around to show the fireworks going off from the bridge and turned his head to catch Steven's lips. "Happy New Year," he called loud enough for the family to hear.

Steven laughed and slipped his hand into David's back pocket. "And we get to do this all over again in eleven hours. Minus the fireworks."

"And the proposing," David pointed out. "Once was sufficient to get your point across."


End file.
